Drawing you Back
Again and Again

The Mummery Book
— part 7

You may not only find it hard to leave the theatre but hard to stay away. Many who attend come back only a month or two later to see another enactment, and some come back repeatedly. There are several reasons for this.

One is simply that you find it so attractive. As the first part of Adi Da Samraj's Orpheum trilogy, the story mirrors Orpheus' descent into the underworld to bring back Eurydice, and it has the purifying depth and scale of classical theatre, with mythic action that extends far beyond the boundaries of the immediate characters and scene.

But Adi Da Samraj pushes the story beyond the limits of the ancient myth and combines this classical depth and reach with a modern use of language, shifting perspectives, complex moods, and rapidly-changing action.

Another reason The Mummery Book draws you back is that it is far too profound and multi-layered to take in at one sitting. The entire performance has the nature of a parable, where you are presented with something very concrete, but its layers of meaning could take you in many directions.

Finally, if you see the enactment a second time, you'll find that your experience is different. You are struck by different scenes or characters, and you respond differently — not just to certain parts but to the entire enactment.

This isn't surprising given that you are meant to be a participant in the action. Ultimately the play is about you, and you aren't likely to be in the same place each time you see it.

Next: An International Ensemble